NC State-Owned Attractions Rank Among the Most Visited in 2017

Carolina Publishing and Associates releases list of most visited attractions in the state

By Carolina Parent Staff Report

Published: March 6, 2018

For the fourth year in a row, the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences was the most visited attraction in the state

Photo courtesy of North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

North Carolina’s state-owned attractions continue to rank among the most-visited in the state, according to an annual survey of North Carolina museums and historic attractions recently released by Carolina Publishing and Associates. Four of the top five most-visited sites in 2017, and 15 of the 30 total sites in the annual ranking, are managed by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

“I am delighted to see that our department’s amazing resources continue to be among the most popular places for people to visit in North Carolina year after year,” says Secretary Susi H. Hamilton. “Many of our sites achieved record visitation numbers in 2017. This achievement shows that nature, arts and history are important to our citizens and visitors to our state, and that they are also vital economic drivers for our local communities. I’m so proud of our outstanding staff for providing the exceptional programs and exhibits that keep visitors engaged and excited.”

For the fourth year in a row, the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences was the most visited attraction in the state, with 946,486 visitors in 2017. Fort Macon State Park in Atlantic Beach was the second most visited attraction, with 896,682 visitors. Fort Fisher State Historic Site in Kure Beach ranked third in the survey with 871,676 visitors, and the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro took the fourth spot with 860,148 visitors in 2017.

Other North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources properties on the list, along with their visitation numbers for 2017, include:

Annual Guides

The 2018-19 Education Guide offers 678 education resources in the Triangle, including area preschools, private schools, public school systems, charter schools, boarding schools, academic resources and an Exceptional Child special section.